Discuss - Ep #0985

[Watching Project]

Robservations #985

[Lydia]

Ooh, great episode, with lots of interesting stuff happening.
　
The director was having fun with mirrors today.  During the opening voiceover we saw Angelique's portrait in a mirror, and then the camera swung around to the opposite wall where the portrait was hanging.  If I had any visual sense, when we were looking in the mirror I would have noticed that the portrait was backward so that we must be looking in the mirror, but I don't so I didn't.  And then later on, in Cyrus's lab, as Cyrus was talking about separating people out into two entities, one good and one evil, we saw two Cyruses, the real Cyrus and the one in the mirror.  Or maybe the one in the mirror was a Cyrus from another time band, looking at his alternate self.

We also now have two sets of clothing in the wrong place: Alexis's, left somewhere in town, and Maggie's, left behind as she ran out the door.  I don't know why Alexis couldn't wait for her luggage to be brought to Collinwood by one of the servants, but I'm sure that, if necessary, a reason could have been dreamed up.  After all, we just had to get Alexis into Angelique's nightie somehow or other.
　
I noticed that Cyrus appeared to make no moral distinction between good and evil.  If his experiment is successful, then evil would be free to go its own way, and so would good.  In that case, how does he define evil and good?  I seem to remember he didn't exactly pin that down.  Are we supposed to see him as a soulless scientist, interested only in knowledge, and in looking at the pure essences of good and evil under a microscope?  He looked sort of sweet, feeding the carrot to the rabbit.  Do rabbits care who feeds them?
　
As the camera faded from Angelique's portrait to Alexis's head in exactly the same position, I was reminded of Lara Parker - which isn't, I hope, as silly as it sounds.  When I've seen Lara Parker at the two Fests that I've attended (she was up on stage; I've never met her) she always seems quite different from Angelique - less vivid in her expression, or maybe less open.  But Alexis, to me, looked more like her portrayer.
　
After Hoffman left Alexis alone in Angelique's room, the camera came in for a close-up of Alexis, and it seemed as though we were about to get one of those Dark Shadows interior monologues.  But the camera moved away to the portrait, and we were left with no clue as to what this woman was thinking - no clue as to whether she's Alexis or whether she is, as Hoffman hopes, Angelique back in her rightful place.
　
I loved the little scene in the hall between Hoffman and Maggie, with Hoffman pointedly not looking at Maggie as she spoke to her.
　
Maggie got her come-uppance for confiding in Will, but - bless her - she gave as good as she got.  Kathryn Leigh Scott is far more compelling when she's fighting than when she's cowering.

[MagnusTrask]

I agree on KLS.   I like her when she's got a clever and/or sarcastic line to deliver, too.   Happy 5000, Lydia!

Does having been emotionally damaged mean one ignores damage underway to others' emotions?  (Re Q's snapping at Maggie) For some I guess.   As for me, it makes up my mind never to inflict the same thing on others.   Of course you lose your temper sometimes, sometimes a lot, but Q takes it way too far and then rarely thinks better of it.

Why did Ang want to fund Cyrus's work I wonder?

Julia just wet 'em!  (seeing 'Alexis"!)

Weird scene, when Hoffman with underlit face passes the master bedroom, Maggie steps out, and H seemingly knows she's there without looking back, and starts talking to Maggie, without turning around.   I wondered who she was speaking to for a moment, since H doesn't have an eye on the back of her head (or does she?).   That was well done.

Another ironic opposite?   Our Q in 1897 found his storyline's signature piece pof music, "Shadows of (in?) the Night", to be his only real source of comfort in the world, and couldn't live without it.   PT 1970 Q is tormented by his storyline's signature piece of music.

Poor bunny.  As experiments progress, is she/he going to alternate between Good Bunny and Evil Bunny?   How on Earth could we tell the difference?   Is there an evil way to chew lettuce?

My nervous system is under a horrible attack tonight (the trigger right now being a reaction to something in our water, maybe any kind of water... minerals?  Toxin?), the worst it's ever been by far, and for the life of me I don't think I'll be able to describe what this is like till the day I die.   This is an emergency.   I've got to get an advocate and physical help, but the usual channels are closed off to me.   I almost posted without saying this, but it's the only thing worth saying tonight.   Bureaucrats are threatening me with loss of housing if I don't do work (to get forms, travel, exposures to light i'm hypersensitive to) that causes severe symptoms.

[Lydia]

Happy 5000, Lydia!

Thanks, Magnus!

Another ironic opposite?   Our Q in 1897 found his storyline's signature piece pof music, "Shadows of (in?) the Night", to be his only real source of comfort in the world, and couldn't live without it.   PT 1970 Q is tormented by his storyline's signature piece of music.

Cool!

My nervous system is under a horrible attack tonight

I'm sorry to hear that, Magnus.

[loril54]

I know they had to make up a reason to get Maggie off the show for the movie.

One why did Quentin marry Maggie? Why did ge bring her into the enemy camp. Did he expect to have Hoffman just sit back and be nice?

If Angelique and Alexis didn't get along, why was Hoffman so nice to her.

[spoiler]Did she know that something might have happened to Angelique? Did she know that she was going to come back?
That is Stokes experiment.[/spoiler]

[Mysterious Benefactor]

As we'll learn along the way, one reason Quentin married Maggie is because he loved her (though that's certainly not the only reason - and perhaps not even the chief reason). Apparently he never completely thought through what it would be like to return to Collinwood and all that he would face there - though it was made obvious that he dreaded going back.

[Janet the Wicked]

What a difference in Chris Pennock. Love his Cyrus, who BTW needs to find himself a copy of RLS's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

"I saw Angelique walking down the street." ... singin', doo wah ditty ditty dum ditty doo...

I wonder how Chris and Cyrus came to be pals? School? Brief encounters at the Blue Whale?

Quentin's gold shirt and blue jacket - no. Gold shirt should go with horrendous orange plaid coat.

You know, Quentin should have called a family/servant meeting to announce the arrival of Alexis instead of everyone being shocked by her presence.

"Geooorge...tell me about the rabbits...

I like Quentin better when he used to channel his anger to lovemaking. But that's just me.

[Lydia]

What a difference in Chris Pennock.

Yes indeed!

Love his Cyrus, who BTW needs to find himself a copy of RLS's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

Maybe in parallel time RLS died in infancy.

[Midnite]

Cyrus to Chris: "It was Angelique. ... I saw her driving by the drugstore about an hour ago. I saw her through the window and I looked out and saw her, and I ran downstairs and called to her but she just kept on going."
--
Cyrus again:  "I saw Angelique. I saw her walking down the street."
So, was the Angelique-lookalike driving or walking?  I'm guessing his first statement was a mistake, because if Alexis had a car, then Quentin would not have offered to arrange for one to bring her back to town.  Not to mention that she could easily have retrieved her personal things, but as Lydia mentioned, the story required getting Alexis into Angelique's nightgown.

Cyrus yet again:  "As a matter of fact, let me quote from some Shakespeare, if you'll forgive a scientist for doing that-- There are more things in heaven and earth that can be dreamt of by your philosophy..."
It's not quite what is in Hamlet, but it made me smile because it reminded me of the famously disastrous production of the play that Pennock would appear in (though as Claudius) in '04.

The reactions to Alexis by the various characters are painfully reminiscent of 1795, when Vicki's reaction every time she met someone who resembled their present-day counterpart got on my last nerve.

Hee hee, Hoff and Alexis were heading upstairs while Quentin made a beeline for the liquor cabinet, but the view we got in the background clearly showed that they stopped midway and headed back down before the cameraman quickly repositioned his shot.

This was the final script officially written by Violet Welles.

Do rabbits care who feeds them?

Bunnies definitely form opinions about people.

And thanks for the screen cap of the bunny, MB.

Why did Ang want to fund Cyrus's work I wonder?

I like Chris' explanation for it:  "Separating good and evil; there's no doubt in my mind which of the two appeal to her."

What a difference in Chris Pennock. Love his Cyrus, who BTW needs to find himself a copy of RLS's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

Totally agree about Pennock.  As someone who occasionally will jot down quotes, one noticeable difference I see is how much faster this character speaks.

As for RLS' work, I think we're supposed to assume that Cyrus has not read it same as it's confounding that the RT residents of Collinwood speak of an animal that wears clothes and walks like a man yet not one of them connects it to the creature in The Wolfman that even has an identical fashion sense.

Magnus, I hope your health issues have improved for you.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The reactions to Alexis by the various characters are painfully reminiscent of 1795, when Vicki's reaction every time she met someone who resembled their present-day counterpart got on my last nerve.

Though again remember that soaps back then were especially designed not to be watched every day (no VCRs and DVRs), so that sort of a reaction is necessary to clue in the audience members who may not have seen it before. It's quite repetitive to those of us watching all the eps - but to the original audience it probably wouldn't have been - or at least not as much.

Hee hee, Hoff and Alexis were heading upstairs while Quentin made a beeline for the liquor cabinet, but the view we got in the background clearly showed that they stopped midway and headed back down before the cameraman quickly repositioned his shot.

Halfway up they decided they'd rather go to the study. 

And thanks for the screen cap of the bunny, MB.

Your welcome. 

Why did Ang want to fund Cyrus's work I wonder?

I like Chris' explanation for it:  "Separating good and evil; there's no doubt in my mind which of the two appeal to her."

I loved that as well.